Act III: The Finale
by tomoyohime8
Summary: All the world is a stage, and the men and women in it are merely players. Spoilers for R2, ep 25. T for everything that happens in ep 25. One-Shot


Title:** The Finale  
**Author: **tomoyohime8**  
Rating: **PG - 13 at most**  
One-shot

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. i wish i did, but you don't always get what you wish for, don't you?

Summary: (spoilers for r 25)

"_Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you to hand over the Key of Damocles!"_

_She struggles to defy him, willing her hands to stay where they are, _

_but resistance becomes futile and finally, she succumbs.  
_

The stage is set. The curtain rises.

**Act III The Finale, Scene I: Kallen**

She used to dream of a brighter future, for herself, for her brother, and for their mother. And even when he died, she still continued to dream, continued to hope.

She thought Zero shared that goal with her, and when she discovered that it was Lelouch, she kept him from straying from the path he'd taken, all for her dream.

But he betrayed her, them, everyone. And now –

Her eyes narrow at the familiar costume. Whispers rise all around her, Zero, Zero!

How can it be, Lelouch –

The Zero-who-was-not-Lelouch runs past the guards, even going through the Britannian cyborg in a familiar display of agility and strength.

Fighting one on one is an intimate experience and she's sure she knows this person, has fought against him before.

But no, she thinks, it's not possible.

She watches Lelouch rise, almost in slow motion, a hand moving towards his side, towards the gun.

Lelouch smiles, and she finally realizes with horror what's going to happen next.

"_You're Zero right now! You carry the responsibility for showing us a dream!_

_If you're going to lie to us, to them, lie until the very end! This time, perform Zero's act flawlessly!"_

Oh God, _no_.

**End of Scene I.**

**Act III, Scene II: Nunnally  
**

_She would never forget Lelouch's face when she saw him for the first time after eight years. He was beautiful, and he still mostly looked the same, but the eyes – she knew that they must be contact lenses – were those of a stranger. _

_His smile was a lie. Everything was a lie._

_This was not her older brother. Her beloved Lelouch was dead. And in his place was this monster who had killed millions. _

_She clutches the Key more tightly in her hands. She would save him from himself. This was the least she could do for them.  
_

She closes her eyes during the entire procession, wishing for once that she was blind again. The world... has become a horrible place.

Sometimes, she had even been glad that she was going to die.

She doesn't recall much about her life before... everything, but what she does remember, she cherishes.

She remembers her older brother's smile, and her older sisters' laughter.

Now one sister is dead, called a murderess, the other is a hunted fugitive, and in a few minutes, she'll be dead too, by her brother's command.

And then she hears the name, _Zero_, and she looks up. A blur goes past the soldiers, past the knightmares, and then passes over her before reaching her brother.

What's going on? She's too far down to see –

Her brother – or rather his corpse then sails over the platform and slides down to where she is. His eyes are blank and despite herself she cries out.

No _– it can't be_ – she grabs his hand and the truth is revealed to her in a flurry of images.

No, no, no, no – _Onii-sama_!

She screams at him, clutching his hand to her, the blood streaming from the dark gaping hole in his chest.

_I love you_, she cries, _all i wanted to do was be with you_, and the tears fall from her eyes, mixing with the dark red blood.

And then he smiles at her, the one she remembers, the same smile from before _everything_.

From when they were actually happy.

His hand becomes limp in hers, and his eyes go blank. He is gone, and she screams.

**End of Scene II**

**Act III, Scene III: Cornelia**

"_Going out now is exactly what he wants us to do."_

She has always preferred direct contact rather than underhanded manipulation, which is why she has always been at the frontlines, rather than at the command circle.

But she knew her brothers, knew that they enjoyed their schemes, and knew that their plans often reached beyond mortal comprehension.

She's too far away to see his face, but the moment she sees Gottwald give way on purpose (she's too good at war to be fooled by that), she is immediately suspicious.

When she sees her younger brother (youngest now) being stabbed by 'Zero', everything suddenly falls into place.

Why it was too easy to get away, why they were never pursued, why they were able to get so close to him.

This was his plan, and inwardly, she smiles. Lelouch loved Euphemia too, and he loved Nunnally just as much as she herself loved her sister.

Lelouch would do anything for the people he loved, and the least she could do for him now was to make sure that his plan succeeded.

"Let's go," she orders the others, and they head out.

_The show must go on, right Lelouch?_

**End of Scene III.**

**Act III, Scene IV: Suzaku**

One should never have to compare killing one's father, to killing one's best friend. Suzaku has done both.

He wonders which hurt him more.

Zero's costume doesn't fit him right, even though it was made of a stretch fabric. It's too tight, since it was designed for a lighter, more slender form. The gloves barely fit him at all. Lelouch's fingers were longer, and thinner. His hands were large and rough with calluses from hard labor.

The mask is stifling, but he doesn't take it off. He can never take it off.

Cheers have risen all around him, all for him – or rather, for Zero. And he cries.

They've succeeded, and now Princess Euphemia can finally rest in peace.

But he keeps recalling Lelouch's smile just before Suzaku draws the sword out, just before the 99th emperor of Britannia (and the first emperor of the world), falls down towards the ground, and he wonders if this was what he really wanted after all.

**End of Scene IV.**

**Act III, Scene V: CC**

The church she's in looks a lot like the church she met the Sister in. Of course, it could be, but she doesn't really remember where it was, where it used to be.

She doesn't even know if it's still standing.

She wonders why she's even there. She's never believed in their God, and she had been killed by His disciples too many times to count.

She wonders if it's over now, if Lelouch's plan had succeeded.

She laughs. Lelouch never fails, even when he loses. That much she was sure of.

She feels it, right then. They're bound by their contract, and she knew now, that he was gone...

...and she was alone again.

**End of Scene V.  
**

_The curtain falls, and all the masks finally come off, except for one. _

_This play is over, and another one is set to begin._

**The end.**


End file.
